Mariah Carey’s latest album, launched on April 16, registered massive sales in the very first day. It is now almost certain it will debut at No.1 on next week’s U.S. pop album chart.

A survey issued by tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan's Building Chart, reveals that “E=MC2” sold 154,000 units Tuesday. The tracking firm is based on data from nine chains, among which Starbucks, Best Buy and Handleman Co. Billboard.

Carey’s last album, “The Emancipation of Mimi,” which saved her career in the middle of a meltdown, appeared in 2005 and sold 404,000 copies in the first week.

The first thing one notices when listening to “E=MC2,” Mariah Carey’s new album, is that the pop diva does not make use so much of her voice’s famous multi-octave range.

However, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Because she used to focus more on showing off her voice, Mariah did not concentrate on actual singing.

The single from “E=MC2,” “Touch My Body” marks the singer's 18th hit song to reach No.1, surpassing Elvis Presley's previous record of 17 hits on the top spot. The only other performers she has left to beat out are the current record holders, The Beatles, with 20 No.1 hits.

“I'm just feeling really happy and grateful," the 38-year-old performer told the Associated Press, while keeping a humbled attitude towards the comparison with The King of Rock 'n' Roll, who last topped the singles chart with "Suspicious Minds" in 1969, as well as The Beatles.
“I really can never put myself in the category of people who have not only revolutionized music but also changed the world," she explained, "That's a completely different era and time.”

The pop diva can really be happy and proud, as "Touch My Body" has also set a new record of 286,000 downloads in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, breaking the 277,000 record set last year by Rihanna's "Umbrella."

The album blends several music styles, from hip-hop and pop to gospel and reggae, with Jamaican accent included for the latter.